School is starting and you need info on rules, buses, grades, lunch. Here’s your guide
Are you ready for your child’s first day of school in Miami-Dade and Broward counties?
School starts Wednesday in Broward. In Miami-Dade, kids return to the classroom on Aug. 23. Students in Palm Beach and Monroe counties are in class already.
Even with some COVID-19 protocols still in place, this school year should be closer to normal. Everyone is (mostly) back to in-person learning.
Here’s what parents should know:
Make sure your child’s immunization records are updated
All public and private schoolchildren from kindergarten through 12th grade in Florida are required to get certain vaccines to attend school. And yes, this includes students who plan to stay online.
Students are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine although it is recommended. Pfizer’s vaccine is for people 12 and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for 18 and older.
Register for online school if you don’t want your child in-person
All Florida public school districts are required to offer a fully-online learning alternative. This rule existed before the pandemic.
For Miami-Dade students, there’s a new K-12 online option this year called Miami-Dade Virtual School. Enrollment ends 10 school days after the semester begins on Aug. 23 and will reopen in January. Enrollment for the school district’s other online option has ended.
For Broward students, the online K-12 option is called Broward Virtual School. Enrollment for grades K-5 ended July 18. Enrollment for grades 6-12 ends Aug. 31.
Both Miami-Dade Virtual School and Broward Virtual School are free and are franchises of Florida Virtual School, the state’s online K-12 school that offers full-time and part-time learning.
Find your child’s assigned school
If you recently moved or want to make sure that your child’s assigned school hasn’t changed, both Miami-Dade and Broward’s public school districts have an online locator you can use. Make sure you use the child’s primary residential address when using the below:
For Miami-Dade’s school locator, search results can be filtered by grade level (example: Do you just want an elementary? A K-8? A high school?) and by drive time. You can also filter schools by attendance options, including if the school is assigned, a magnet school or a choice school.
For Broward’s school locator, select what grade your child is in and type in their primary home address. Your child’s assigned school will appear. If you click it, you’ll get a variety of details including demographic enrollment data and the name of the school’s principal.
Know your child’s bus route
To find your child’s bus assignment for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, go to www.dadeschools.net and log on to the Parent Portal. On the top of the parent portal screen, click “Bus Info.” Parents should check this periodically to have the most up-to-date information. Parents who can’t access the Parent Portal or have additional questions should call their child’s school.
The Broward school district usually mails the student’s bus route number, bus stop assignment location and the pickup and dropoff times right before the beginning of the school year to the student’s registered home address. If you haven’t received the information yet, contact the school’s designated transportation liaison, according to the school district’s transportation website.
Remember, the buses may run late during the first few weeks of schools. To inquire about your bus route:
▪ Miami-Dade: Know your child’s bus route number, then call the corresponding transportation center number: Visit dot.dadeschools.net under “Bus Rules/Handout PDF” in FAQs section.
▪ Broward: Know your child’s bus route number, then call the corresponding transportation center number listed here: www.pupiltrans.org/terminals.html.
Check the menu for your child’s free meal
Breakfast is free to all public school students in Miami-Dade and Broward. The school districts are also giving free lunch to all students 18 and younger this year, regardless of family, thanks to a USDA waiver.
To see the menu for Miami-Dade Schools, visit dadeschools.nutrislice.com/menus-eula. If your child has special dietary needs, contact the school for information on how to submit the necessary form. To see the menu for Broward Schools and for information on how to make a special diet request, visit browardschools.com/menus.
COVID-19 protocols to expect
Like last year, expect to see COVID-19 safety protocols in your child’s school. Some rules will be the same and others will be more relaxed. All of the COVID guidelines haven’t been announced, but here’s what to know so far:
For Miami-Dade Schools, students should expect another year of socially distanced eating inside the cafeteria, classrooms or outdoor patio. Each school will have isolation rooms again, which is where students who begin to show potential COVID symptoms are sent to be checked by a nurse, who will then call their parents to pick them up, if needed.
One big change: Entire classrooms will no longer have to quarantine if someone tests positive.
The Miami-Dade school district is also requiring masks inside buses. As for masks inside classrooms, both Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and the district’s task force of medical experts are urging the School Board to make masks mandatory. A decision is expected to be made Wednesday.
For Broward Schools, students and staff should still use the district’s daily health screening checklist before heading to campus and should stay home if feeling sick. School buses will be back to full-seating capacity. And students will be expected to socially distance, between three to six feet, inside classrooms, hallways and indoor common spaces, when possible.
Everyone — students, faculty, staff and visitors — must also wear a mask inside Broward schools and on buses for the 2021-2022 school. There are exceptions for students with medical conditions or individual education plans. Masks are not required outside.
Fully vaccinated students and staff exposed to someone who tested positive will not need to quarantine if they don’t have symptoms, according to Broward Schools reopening plan.
People who are not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated will have to quarantine after COVID exposure. They should quarantine seven days (if they test negative with a PCR test at least five days after exposure) or 10 days (if they didn’t test but are asymptomatic). For people who test positive, the rules vary depending on whether they underwent testing and if they have symptoms.
Calendars, grades, apps
▪ Miami-Dade and Broward have online 2021-2022 school year calendars and online testing calendars.
▪ Miami-Dade and Broward Schools have online parent portals. They let you see your child’s grade, bus assignment and other important information.
▪ Miami-Dade Schools has a smartphone app, Dadeschools Mobile, which provides information about your child’s school such as grades, bus routes, school news and the lunch menu. It also has a link to FortifyFL, a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows people to instantly relay information to law enforcement and school officials. Broward Schools has a similar app. Find it by typing BCPS Mobile App or Broward County Public Schools. Emergencies should be reported to 911 first.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:46 AM.
